Door latch



y F. L. AIUMACK 2,159,362

DOOR LATCH Filed March 4, 1938 p 7 YS l D 711%? JJ' F from? L: am

Zhwentor attorney Aumack; J n G,:;Rptch o d astm mkanerwash, v

I Ap ue tibii" March 4 1938, saw No.5 193,955"

renders a closed door rattle proofzgf The inven 5 tion is adapted for; use withfvar i'ous kindso'f I closure-fasteners, but is'especially "designed as f an anti-rattling device employed "iii" connection with house door latches or fa'stenln gs w en the door" tightly closed in .weather-proof position 10 against thedoor-stop. f The automatic anti-rattling device is also applicable for use'with the latch-bolts of doors for automotivevehicles, to prevent rattling of the" door that would otherwisebe occasioned by vibrations' of the travel- 7 ling vehicle:

1 The invention embodies air automatically operating ball-detent that i'sgs'eatedin-an' opening of the latch-plate of the door jamb, which det'ent co-acts with' the free end of the door latch for' 2 latch-,bolt carried by the door, to hold the door in rigid closedv position. When the door is open,

or th'e'latch is withdrawmthe b'alldetentautomatic'ally moves into the pathjof thelatch and rests in aseat'imthe stationary latch plate. J As 'gg the door is closed,"andits projected latch-bolt contacts the ball-detent, the latter is unseated, and thereafter the free-moving ball-detent automatically returns to contact with the latch, and is finally re-seated, with a wedging action against 30 the latch, to hold the latter rigidly in closed position.

The closed latch is thus automatically tightened, and the door is consequently rigidly held against rattling, and in close contact with the door-stop. 7 1

Theball-detent, of course, operates in such manner as not to impair the emciency of the latch in its usual functions and on the other hand, the anti-rattling device of my invention 40 in the performance of its functions compensates for wear on the latch bolt and its supporting parts and automatically adjusts the bolt to its closed position.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed. In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

I Figure 1 is a top edge view of the stationary 55 latch-plate removed from the door-jamb, showing section.

" ball-detent;

the caged ball-detentoccupying its seat, as' when the door is open.

Figure 2 is a'face view of the latch-plate,

showing particularly the ball-seat in the'slotted Fi'gure 3 a vertical sectional view of the latch plate showing the cage in section, and the balldetent inits seat.

Figure 4 shows the ball just after it has been unseate'd by the passing latch, the jamb, cage,

latch 'plate, door and door-stop being shown in Figures 5 and 6, successively, show'position's of'the automati'cally returning ball, after pas-' sage of the latch to closed position, and Figure '7 shows the ball-detent wedged against the latchbolt, and the door is thereby held rigidly against the door-stop.

Figure fldiscloses a spring-returned ball-detent, as distinguished from the gravity-returned In forde that thej general arrangement and utilityl of' parts may be readily understood I have shownlportions of a hinged door D, and its doorstop' S,' and'a typical sliding or'reciprocating latch-bolt L is mounted as usual in the door, said latch-bolt having the usual rear straight face F, and the cam front-face F.

The usual door jamb is indicated as J, and the door stop S, as well as the metal latch-plate P are rigid with the jamb, the plate P being screwed as usual to the jamb through holes I, I.

The latch plate is provided with the usual slot 2 for the locking bolt, and also with the usual slot or aperture 3 for the latch-bolt L. In converting the latch-plate for use with my invention a cage or housing 4 is secured, as by spotwelding or in other suitable manner, to the inner or rear face of the plate and in the gravityactuated or gravity-returned device of Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the cage or housing inclines upwardly from the plate, and it also extends backwardly from the aperture 3 of the plate.

Within the cage or housing is confined a balldetent or metal sphere B, and the upper rear end of the cage is provided with a retaining flange or stop 5 to prevent displacement of the ball through the rear open end of the cage. At its junction with the plate P, the cage is fashioned' with a lateral aperture 6 that opens into the mortise or recess J of the jamb, and this mortise is alined with the slot 3 for the reception of the latch L. The cage at its junction with the plate is also fashioned with a circular aperture 1 that opens to the slot 3, and this aperture forms a seat for the ball B, the apertures 15 and I being smaller in diameter than the diameter of theball-detent, in order that the ball may partially project through the apertures, but

the ball is prevented from passing entirely through either of the apertures.

In Figures 1 and 3 the ball-detent is shown seated in the aperture or seat 1, and projecting slightly through the lateral aperture 6, a'nd this is the position occupied by the ball B when the door is opened, or when the latch L is withdrawn. The ball is free to roll within its cage,

and because of the combined downward slant,

as in Figure 3, and the lateral incline seen in' Figures 1 and 4, the ball, by'gravity, automatically finds its seat, as in Figures 1 and 3.

When the door approaches the end of its closing movement the cam face F 'of'the latch first wipes against the ball and unseats it, the wiping action impelling the ball to position of Figure 4. After the point of the latch has passed across the seat 1 and snapped into the mortise, the ball rolls down the cag e under gravity, encountering in the mortise.

the pointof the latch as in Figure 5, andas'the door is pulled or pushed to its final closingposition the ball slips in between'the face F of the latch and the rear wall of the "cage, as indicated in Figure 6. The final movement "of the ball wedges the latter in between the straight face F and the rear wall. of the cage as in Figure 7, where the door is shown snugly engaging the stop S, and the latch iswedged between the ball and the front wall of the slot 3 of the plate. The ball -on the other hand is wedged 'with'a slight frictional engagement in between the latch and the 7 rear wall of the cage. I

The door may be openedfin the usual manner by turning the latch handle for the purpose of withdrawing the latch from its wedged position As the latch is thus retracted its frictional contact with the ball causes the latter to turn clock-wise in Fig. 7 thus releasing the wedge, and as the unlatched door is swung to open position, the ball detent rolls into and remains in its seat, to be again unseated when the door is again swung to closed position.

In Figure 8 I disclose the use of a spring 8 interposed between the ball and a retaining flange of the cage 4, which spring may be employed in lieu of gravity for returning the ball to its seat 1. In the use of the spring-returned ball B the cage 4 need not necessarily be inclined as in Figure 3, and the cage may be arranged at the lateral angle of Figure 1, and the ball-detent performs the same functions in the construction of Figure 8, as in the other figures of the drawing.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: g

1. In a door latching device, the combination with a latch-plate having a mortise-aperture, of

with a latch-plate having a mortise-aperture, of, a cage rigid with said plate, a'freely rollingball detentf'c'onfine'd within the cage, said cage being disposed at a lateral angle and alsodisposed at a vertical angle to the plane of the plate, said cage having a lateral aperture opening to the mortiseaperture and an end opening forming a front seat also merging with said mortise-aperture,

and said aperture and opening being of less diameter than the diameter of the ball detent,

3.,In a door latching device, for use with a hinged door having a slide latch, the combination of a. latch-plate having a mortise-aperture to receive the latch, of a cage mounted on the plate, a gravity-actuated ball-detent free to roll in one direction to latched position and positively moved in the opposite direction by contact with the latch bolt as it moves toward projected position, said ball-detent being confined in the cage and said cage having a front seat and a lateral aperture merging with the mortise aperture.

FRANK L. AUMACK. I 

